Diagnosing Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Patients with Cocaine Dependence: Discriminant Validity of Barkley Executive Dysfunction Symptoms

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Vol. 17, No. 6, 2011  

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Research Report

Diagnosing Adult Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Patients with Cocaine Dependence: Discriminant Validity of Barkley Executive Dysfunction Symptoms
Esperanza Vergara-Moraguesa, Francisco González-Saizb, Oscar Lozano Rojasc, Izaskun Bilbao Acedosa, Fermín Fernández Calderóna, Patricia Betanzos Espinosad, Antonio Verdejo Garcíad, Miguel Pérez Garcíad

aFundación Andaluza para la Atención a las Drogodependencias, FADAIS, Sevilla,
bUnidad de Salud Mental Comunitaria Villamartín, UGC Hospital de Jerez, Cádiz,
cDepartamento de Psicología Clínica, Experimental y Social, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, and
dDepartamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
Address of Corresponding Author

Eur Addict Res 2011;17:279-284 (DOI: 10.1159/000329725)

  Key Words

Cocaine
Therapeutic community
Substance-related disorders
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Executive functions
  Abstract

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a sample of cocaine-dependent patients, and to examine the discriminant validity of the Barkley’s executive dysfunction scale in differentiating cocaine-dependent patients with and without ADHD. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 166 cocaine-dependent subjects were assessed. The assessment instruments included: Conners’ Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (CAADID), Psychiatric Research Interview for Substance and Mental Disorders (PRISM-IV) and 9 items from Current Behavior Scale Self-Report by Russell A. Barkley. Results: 14.5% (CI95%: 9.2–19.8%) prevalence of ADHD was observed in our sample. The Barkley’s executive dysfunction items showed statistically significant differences between cocaine-dependent patients with ADHD and those patients without ADHD diagnosis. Conclusions: The study data support Barkley’s model – which posits the relevance of executive dysfunction among ADHD patients within a sample of cocaine dependents, and provides evidence of the discriminant validity of the Current Behavior Scale Self-Report for identifying ADHD symptoms in cocaine users.

Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

E-Mail pacogonzalez@comcadiz.com

  Article Information

Received: January 14, 2011
Accepted: May 23, 2011
Published online: September 6, 2011
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 2, Number of References : 25